BUILDING IDEAS

John Tory announces launch of new competitions to encourage urban design,

In the city’s latest initiative to improve urban design, Mayor John Tory announced the launch of two new competitions at the 2019 Toronto Urban Design Awards on Tuesday.

Both are “ideas competitions,” which Tory said is to encourage the housing community to provide creative options for lowrise housing buildings. The second is a “design competition” for community civic centres, managed by CreateTO, the city’s real estate development initiative that was launched in January 2018.

“Toronto is constantly evolving, but our goal remains the same: to ensure vibrant, diverse, affordable and safe spaces for our residents, today and tomorrow,” Tory said. “Design must be an important consideration as we go about achieving those things.”

The mayor said his office hosted about two dozen leading urban developers, architects and designers over the summer to discuss how they could enhance Toronto’s urban environment.

The initiatives are partially directed at young designers and architects that have fresh ideas for the city’s skyline.

“I am determined to see us include the next generation of professionals so they have a real tangible role in designing the city they will inhabit — long after we’re gone.”

Recently, the city accumulated 651 proposals for lowerpriced home developments in lieu of the near absence of affordable living options.

Three of the Open Door affordable housing program developments recommended by city staff this year came from non-profit agencies; the rest were from private developers. If approved by city council and built, the developments will remain below market rent between 30 and 99 years, depending on the project.

For now, the city has three developments planned for completion within the next two years, by three different developers. In a June report by CBRE Residential, Toronto placed 12th in a ranking of the world’s most expensive places to live.